Alto Mare: Fated Reunion Easter Special
by DayZApprentice
Summary: A short sequel to Alto Mare: Fated Reunion that takes a play on Easter. Happy Holidays!
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER**: **I do not own anything. All characters and the world of Pokémon belong to Nintendo. This work of Ash and Latias is of my own invention and is in no way a part of the main story of Pokémon. I thank Nintendo for this amazing world! Without it, this story would never exist!**

The morning light streamed into Ash's room. With amazing accuracy or sheer luck, the rays of light happened to shine across Ash's eyes. He rearranged his covers and turned the other way as if it would make the sun disappear. All of a sudden the lights in his room flared on. He groaned and pulled the covers above his head. On the top bunk he could hear restless movement from Latias as she stirred. "Well, there's another similarity between you two. Neither of you are morning people." chimed a familiar voice. Ash peered out from his blanket and saw his mother, Delia, standing in the doorway. "Come on mom, give us a few more minutes. It's not like we're going anywhere." He grumbled. Delia raised a single finger as if telling him to pause. "That's where you're wrong! Don't you remember what today is?" she asked cheerfully. The gears in Ash's head slowly began to speed up as he attempted to find the answer to her question. He'd been so wrapped up in orchestrating the construction of the house that he had almost lost track of the days. The light bulb finally went off in his head and he bolted up smacking his head against the top bunk. "Gah!" He rubbed his forehead and sat over the edge of the bed. Latias peered over the top bunk with a look of concern. "It's alright. No need to worry." Latias smiled at him and cooed.

Latias truly wasn't a morning person. Of course, only Ash and others who were close to them would think so. Over the course of time while Ash was adventuring, Latias had taught herself how to speak telepathically. It had broken down a major barrier between them when he journeyed back to Alto Mare to confirm his feelings for her 7 months before. Even with constant training, it still required a decent amount of concentration to keep a bridge opened between their two minds and more so to speak to multiple people at once. So every morning, Ash would be greeted by a series of coos due to her lack of concentration in the morning. (Ash found this to be incredibly cute.)

"Is there anything for me to do?" Ash asked directing his question at Delia. She shook her head. "No, Mr. Mime is enough help. I just thought I'd wake you up since you haven't celebrated Easter in nearly 7 years." A cry from Mr. Mime made its way upstairs. Delia quickly left to find out what was going on leaving a thoughtful Ash and a slightly confused Latias. "7 years huh? Hard to believe it's been that long. Could have sworn I left on my journey with Pikachu only a week ago." Ash realized he was reminiscing the past and shook his head to clear his head. _"I'm not an old man yet. There's enough time to think about my adventures in the future."_ He stood up and made his way to the door when he heard a confused coo from behind him. Latias was staring at him in confusion. It registered that she had most likely never heard of Easter before. "It's alright, I'll explain later. You can catch a few more minutes of sleep if you want." Latias gazed at him for a few seconds before she nodded with a light smile. Ash made his way to the bathroom to freshen up. In the middle of it he peered out the window. His sights were set on a house under construction nearly a half mile away. To be specific, _his _house that was under construction. He could just barely distinguish Brock, who was leading the project and a few other Gym Leaders he had called in as a favor. He noticed an object floating through the air and figured Sabrina had arrived. A shiver ran down his spine when he recalled his short time with Sabrina. She ended up being a very sweet person, but he could never look at dolls the same way after that experience. He pushed the thought out of his head, finished up, and headed back to his room to change.

When he entered his room, Latias tackled him playfully. **"Good morning, dear!" **she exclaimed giggling at the last word. Ash flushed lightly and glanced down at his hand where a simple, silver ring shone. He smiled and kissed her forehead. "You seem more concentrated this morning." He stated. Latias giggled again and nodded. "Why don't you go on ahead downstairs? My mom can tell you a little about why today is special. I need to change and I'll be down right after." Latias pouted playfully. **"You mean I don't get to watch?" **Ash's face went beet red eliciting another giggle from Latias. **"I'm just teasing you!" **she said before giving him a quick peck on the cheek and flying downstairs. Ash stood in a slight daze for a few seconds before remembering he was still in his pajamas. He threw on a pair of blue jeans, a black t-shirt, his blue vest (never gets old), and slipped on a pair of fingerless gloves. After he finished tying his shoes he glances up and noticed what seemed like a relic to him now. Sitting on top of his dresser was his old cap. He hadn't paid much mind to it since his return, but this time he remembered all the adventures he had with it and the broken promise he had made. He had promised he would never wear a different hat. _"So much for _that _promise." _He stood up and was about to leave when on a whim he stopped and grabbed the cap. He slipped it on and headed downstairs.

**[Author's Note: Same rules apply to telepathy as they did in Alto Mare: Fated Reunion! Happy Holidays!]**

**[P.S. Easter on 4/20? Hehehe... I'll shut up now.]**


	2. Chapter 2

Ash walked into the kitchen and saw Mr. Mime and his mother hard at work preparing everything for dinner later while Latias watched attentively. It had become a habit of hers to prepare a large dinner on Easter day. After his father had left, it was only Ash and her alone in the house. Whenever Easter came around she would invite close friends which mostly consisted of the Oak lineage to dinner and games. Of course they only had 1 game, but it was something Ash always looked forward to.

"Oh, Ash, Samuel just called and said something about Pikachu. I think he wants you to head on over and pick him up." Delia said without taking her eyes off of the various pots and pans that she was attending to. Ash watched her move amongst them fluidly. _"And yet she always told me she couldn't do two things at once."_ Ash waved to her even though he knew she most likely didn't notice and opened the front door. A bright blue light flashed behind him and soon enough Latias was beside him in her human form. Ash looked her up and down and smiled. Ever since Latias had left Alto Mare, she had decided it was time she start transforming into something other than Bianca. She decided to try her luck and think up her own body. She stood a couple inches shorter than Ash and wore a simple, white dress. Her ruby red hair cascaded sown to her waist in a hypnotic way. Her eyes were the same as always, a fine amber. In simpler terms, she was beautiful. (Ash still preferred her true Lati form though.)

Ash bowed playfully and motioned towards the door. "After you ma'am." He said with a fake accent. Latias giggled and stepped through. Ash followed suite and closed the door behind him. Ash looked out across Pallet and took a deep breath. "This view and the fresh air," Ash stated "will never get old. I always wondered what people meant when they said something smelled nostalgic, but I understand it now." Latias looked at him analytically. Ash flushed a bit. "Um, sorry about that. Just spouting out random nonsense." Latias shook her head. "I think you're right. I don't exactly know why, but the smell here reminds me of the Garden." Ash noticed her blink back a few tears. "Brother would have loved it here."

A pang of sadness grabbed at Ash's heart. He had only known Latios for a short time, but when he gave his life essence to protect Alto Mare, he couldn't help but feel like a small part of his life had been forcefully taken from him. However, a feeling of annoyance flared in a small part of his being. Latios may have died, but his life essence was still present in the Soul Dew and he had made this fact quite clear to Ash on his last trip there.

Ash wrapped an arm around Latias' shoulder and pulled her closer to him. She wiped away a tear and smiled at him. "Thank you, I guess we should go get Pikachu now?" Ash nodded. "Yep, that's the plan." The trip to the lab was rather uneventful. Ash pointed out a few spots he remembered as a kid and told her about the stories that revolved around them. He even told her about his first day with Pikachu and how they both had nearly died from a flock of angry Spearow. Latias shuddered at the story. "That's where you first met Misty, right?" Ash looked at her with surprised eyes. "Yeah, she fished me out of the river. How'd you know that thought?" "Misty tells me all kinds of stories when she visits." She replied. Ash nodded and turned his attention to something else. He had no trouble believing it. After the mess in Alto Mare, Latias and Misty had formed a sisterly kind of relationship. Similar to what Latias had with Bianca. Suddenly a thought struck him and he grimaced. "Latias." "Yeah?" "She didn't tell you about Celadon city did she?" Latias stared at him with a serious expression. A giggle escaped and she turned away from him trying to contain a fit of laughter. Ash lowered his head in shame. If he had to choose one experience he hated worse than Saffron city, it was the humiliation he suffered at the wrath of the Celadon gym.

When they arrived at the lab, Ash was as confused as ever. Muk had basically body slammed Professor Oak to the ground. Professor Oak was struggling to move all the while waving a bunch of bunny ears around. Over in a corner he noticed Gary typing away at a computer. He would have looked rather serious if it weren't for the fact that he was wearing a pair of bunny ears. Ash knocked on the door frame and succeeded in grabbing Gary's attention. Gary gave him a worn smile and walked over to them. He gave Ash a fist bump and greeted Latias with a handshake. Ash noticed Gary had bags under his eyes and 5 o'clock shadow. Gary gave off a large yawn. "Sorry," he said motioning them to follow him "I was up all night pursuing a lead for my research." He jabbed a finger at the computer he was on. "Still am actually, but I can spare a few minutes." He led them into another room that was only lit by a few computer screens. He walked over to a keypad and punched in a code. The red light on it flashed a few times before turning green. Ash heard the lock disengage. Gary opened the door. The moment he did so, he yelped and hit the deck. Ash was engulfed in flames. "Ash!" Latias screamed. The flame stopped and a roar sounded directly in front of them. Latias ran over to Ash who was covered in soot. Ash calmly began to dust himself off. Latias stared at him with open jaws. "Charizards' flamethrower. You get used to it after a while."


	3. Chapter 3

Ash stepped outside and was instantly surrounded in a flurry of movement. Latias watched in amazement as he greeted all of his old friends like they'd never been apart. Gary sighed beside her. "Ash always did have a special relationship with his Pokemon. I've only seen a few others who care for Pokemon as much as he does." He glanced over at Latias and smiled. "You're proof of that." Latias blushed at his statement. Gary yelled something to Ash and retreated back inside the lab. Latias carefully picked her way through the crowd of Pokemon. A few of them greeted her happily as she made her way to Ash. "It always amazes me how many Pokemon you have." She said watching a herd of Tauros stampede across the meadow. Ash nodded thoughtfully as he patted Glalie. "But, I don't consider them my Pokemon. I consider them to be my friends." Ash chuckled. "I guess that doesn't make much sense, but it is how I feel."

Ash and Latias waded through crowd of Pokemon to a tree where they found Sceptile and Pikachu sleeping. "Jeez, heavy sleepers much." "We aren't exactly light sleepers you know." Latias replied. Ash poked her in the stomach playfully. "Maybe if a certain someone hadn't been up all night playing games." "If it weren't so fun it wouldn't be a problem." "Oh, sure, blame the game." Suddenly a bolt of lightning flashed in between them. "Pika Pi Pikachu!" Ash's eyebrows went up slightly. "Rude much?" "Piiiiiiii-" Ash flung his hands up and apologized. "Pi Pikachu Pika Pi?" "I came to get you. Professor Oak says he's done with the tests so you can come back home." "Pika!" "Yeah, seriously!" Pikachu immediately jumped down from the branch onto his promising the rest of his Pokemon that he would visit them soon, they left the lab. Ash stopped inside for a few seconds to say good-bye to Muk who got off of Professor Oak to give him a hug. Then he went back to harassing him.

"By the way, what is Easter exactly? Why do you celebrate it?" Latias asked. "Did my mom tell you anything about it?" "All she said was that it commemorates an important figure in history." "Yeah, but that's not the basis for the holiday. In essence, it celebrates the sacrifice it made." Ash glanced over at Latias. "Do you want to hear the story?" Latias nodded her head vigorously. "It goes something like this."

_In the past, humans and Pokemon lived in fear of each other. They were constantly fighting each other. Bloody battles were fought all over the land. It seemed like neither side was going to give up. It went on like this for decades, no battle ever favoring one side. Both sides decided enough was enough and they prepared for one massive battle. However, something happened. A man appeared out of nowhere in the midst of the battlefield. He began to tend to the wounded of both sides. Slowly, people and Pokemon alike saw what he was doing and the battling began to subside as they watched him. A Pokemon approached him and asked. __**"Why do you tend to the wounded of your enemy? Do you think this will win our respect?"**__ The man shook his head and replied. __**"I am not tending to my enemies. I am tending to a living creature." **__Another man stepped forward. __**"Decades we have fought these creatures and decades they have fought us. Now you say they are not our enemy? Who are you?" **__The man looked up with sad eyes. __**"I was raised to treat all living things with respect, so I have dedicated my life to changing this world." "What kind of world do you hope to make?"**__ inquired another creature. __**"I want a world where we live in harmony, helping each other in times of need. I wish for us all to be friends." "Why should we believe you?" "Why shouldn't you? Can you tell me why you fight each other so violently? What do you hope to accomplish?" **__This question made both sides stir in an uncomfortable silence. Man and creature eyed each other with curiosity. __**"You fight because you're afraid. You stumble in the dark of each other's secrets and ideals. Would it not benefit each side to communicate and work together towards a better world?" **__A creature stepped forward, emanating an aura of great strength. Likewise, a human stepped forward with a look of wisdom and power. The creature spoke. __**"I sense you speak nothing but the truth. However, we cannot trust one so openly. What can you offer us?" **__The human nodded in agreement. __**"You speak the truth. I sense a great amount of thought has gone into this, but this war in not something we can just stop. Something of great value must be given." **__The man stood and drew a blade. __**"In exchange, I offer myself. As the origin of life, there is no greater sacrifice." **__The man thrust the blade into his body and fell to the ground. Where his body should have been, a creature was in his place. The creatures recognized it and began to wail. Humans, likewise dropped their weapons and began to mourn. In place of the man was the creature of origin, Mew._

Latias gasped. "Mew?!" Ash nodded with a grim expression. "It isn't a pretty story, but Mew's sacrifice wasn't in vain. After that, humans and Pokemon began working together. They dedicated this day to Mew to commemorate new life, for if not for its sacrifice, there would be no life." Latias nodded and smiled. "Thanks to Mew, I can be with you like this." Latias leaned her head onto Ash's arm and closed her eyes. Ash smiled as she began humming a song. He looked down the road and saw his mother waving to them from the house. "Looks like she's ready for it." "Hmm, ready for what?" Latias mumbled quietly, still enjoying his warmth. "You'll see, you're going to have a pretty big role in it this year."


	4. Chapter 4

"You want _me_ to hide the eggs!?" Latias exclaimed. "Well, yeah, mom did tell you about the egg hunt before didn't she?" Ash replied. Ash leaned back over the couch and looked up at her curiously. "Well, a little, but I didn't know that's what the big event was. Isn't it rather boring having just one person look for them?" Latias inquired. "Hmm, you know I never really thought about it. I don't think there's ever been a boring egg hunt though. Except maybe that one time when Gary fell asleep when he was hunting for them, but _that _was fun in its own way." "Pika Pi?" Ash glanced down at Pikachu who was flipping through channels on the television with his tail. "Well, sure, if you want. I mean this is your first Easter as well. I don't think mom would mind." "Mind what?" came Delia's voice from the kitchen. "Pikachu was wondering if he could hide eggs with Latias." "Of course! The more the merrier!" "See?" Ash glanced up at the clock on the wall and stood up from the couch. He walked over and grabbed a basket filled with hard-boiled eggs painted in various colors and styles. "Here, you have an hour to hide them all. If you're not back by then I start hunting for them early." Latias grabbed the basket. "Also, as a secondary punishment, no video games tonight." Latias looked horror stricken, but recovered quickly and leaned in close to him. "If you don't find all the eggs, then you don't get a kiss from me for a week." she whispered. Ash's face paled and Latias ran out the front door with a giggle and with Pikachu close behind. Before the door closed, Ash saw a flash of blue followed by a red and white streak.

Ash stood stock still for a few minutes before plopping back on the couch. "Totally unfair." He muttered under his breath. He aimlessly flipped through the channels stopping on one showing a Gengar and Onix fighting in a tournament. "Déjà vu." He stated before beginning his pointless journey of channel flipping. Every few minutes Ash would glance up at the clock. Everytime he checked, only a few minutes would have passed. Ash sighed and gave up on trying to find something interesting to watch. "I already miss her." He muttered lying down on the couch. It felt like he was awoken the moment his eyes shut. Standing over him was a smiling Latias in her Lati form. "How long have I been out?" _**"A little under half an hour. So not very long. Here!"**_ Ash sat up and yawned. He took the basket from her and stood up. "I guess it's my turn then?" A mischievous look sparkled in Latias' eyes. _**"Are you sure you don't wanna give up now? If you do, I'll only limit your punishment to 4 days!" **_Ash grinned and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Where's the fun in that? I'll be back before you know it!" he exclaimed.

"Or so I thought." Ash stated dropping himself into the sand. He laid back and began to think. _"If I were Latias, where would I hide the eggs." _As he thought of several different locations, something yellow caught his attention. "Oh no, you have got to be kidding me." He muttered. Ash looked up the small cliff face and saw a yellow egg nestled inside a crevice. "Of course. She can fly. I _really _should have said something about that." Ash began to slowly, but surely climb of the rock face. He eventually reached the eggs and pocketed it. When he arrived back on the ground he placed the egg in the basket. "One down, 29 to go."

After the first egg, finding the rest were a simple matter of thinking like Latias (which was a lot harder than he originally thought) and Pikachu. Sometimes he would find an egg in a tree branch and other times he would find one tucked away in a shaded area. His search led him to an underwater cavern, the top of the windmill at Professor Oak's lab (Charizard was recruited for that one) and even a meeting with his favorite Spearow flock. By the time he finished, the sun was beginning to set over the horizon. He trudged home feeling victorious, that is until he recounted the eggs. "29? 29!? You have got to be kidding me!" He spun his head around hoping to catch a glimpse of the last egg, but ended up sighing in defeat. _"Might as well return and admit my defeat. It's too dark to keep looking anyways." _

When Ash returned, he was greeted with a feast fit for a king. He was also greeted with a shocked mother and a giggling wife. "You two," he said pointing at Latias and Pikachu "are the best egg hiders in the Ketchum family." "You look like you had a fight with an Ursaring and lost!" Delia exclaimed. "After running into my old Spearow pals, I feel like it." He replied. "Go and clean yourself up. Then we'll start dinner." Ash did so without a second's hesitation. When he came back down, the table was set and everyone was already seated. He pulled out a chair for himself and dinner began. As they all chowed down, Ash shared everything that had happened except the fact that he had missed an egg. He pointed to Latias with a turkey leg. "Next time you hide, no flying." Latias smiled and nodded. _**"At least you found them all." **_Ash frowned and continued eating, feeling like he had missed something important regarding the last egg.

As the night wore one, so did everyone concentration as they all grew more and more tired. Latias ended up going to bed before any of them. Ash helped Delia put away leftovers and clean the dishes before heading up to bed himself. Ash opened the door to his room slowly and tiptoed inside. On the top bunk he saw Latias sleeping peacefully. _"Why did I have a bunk bed as a kid? I'm an only child."_ He shrugged the thought away and changed into his pajamas. Right as he was climbing into bed he stopped and turned around slowly. Right beside a portrait of him and his friends in Alto Mare was an egg. He picked it up and smiled warmly. Painted on it was a simple heart. Ash set it down and leaned over the top bunk. "Happy Easter." He whispered. Latias smiled and opened her eyes. They gazed at each other for a while before Latias leaned in and gave him a kiss. _**"Happy Easter."**_


End file.
